All of these standing heads are from the same newspaper. Every one is different. A study in inconsistency.f

Taking a closer look: Part 1

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME you gathered your staff and took a close look at your newspaper’s design?

Is it working for your readers?

Is it easy to produce on deadline?

Is it contemporary?

Is it compelling?

Is it true to your design style?

I suggest a design critique every quarter…at least every six months. Go longer than that and you risk an erosion of your design style. Inconsistencies (see illustration) begin to creep in and, before long, your “design” is no longer a design. It’s just something that happens every issue.

When you do your critique, here are key items worth reviewing:

VISUALS

Is there a dominant visual on Page 1 and other open pages?

Are your photos/graphics large enough on the page?

Are lead visuals placed over the optical center on open pages?

Are they good quality?

Are they properly (read that “tightly”) cropped?

How’s your print/reproduction quality?

TYPOGRAPHY

Are you using a strong, legible type face for text?

Are word spacing and letter spacing too tight? Too loose?

Are your columns too narrow for easy reading? Too wide?

Is text aligned to the baseline grid?

Are you watching for—and fixing—widows?

Are you careful to avoid excessive word spacing and letter spacing when you wrap text around an item?

Are your captions set large enough?

Are your captions set too wide?

Are your headline type faces consistent?

Do you avoid the use of funky fonts?

Do you practice good headline hierarchy?

Do you have a consistent text style for lists, such as police and fire runs, calendars and other similar items?

Do you have a consistent text style for infoboxes, and by-the-numbers boxes?

Do you have a consistent style for pullouts?

Do you have a consistent style for drop caps?

Are your typographic styles set up in your software style sheets?

OTHER

Is placement of content consistent from issue to issue?

Is placement of ads consistent from page to page?

Does the design/typography of your nameplate need tweaking?

Do your teasers do the job, or do they need updating?

Are your design elements simple? Consistent?

Do you use color carefully and with a purpose?

That’s my list. I’m assuming you have other items you’d want on your list, but those I’ve mentioned here will give you a good start.

NEXT MONTH: Now that you know what you’re looking at, who does the looking, how does it work…and who’s in charge?

No cartoon? No problem

MANY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERSI’ve seen (and I’ve seen hundreds!) struggle to find a visual element to place on the opinion page.

As result, they’ll often place an editorial cartoon on the page that really has little interest for—or impact on—readers. They are there to be…well…there.

Those cartoons may be national or statewide in scope. Some may actually apply to what is going on in the community. But far too many don’t.

Some publishers commission local artists to do a cartoon that may occasionally accompany an editorial or opinion column.

That costs. If you’re OK with that expense, more power to ya. But, if you want a visual element on the page that won’t cost you a cent (except in staff time), here are three ideas for you to consider.

1) THE “BACK THEN” PHOTO. When I show publishers this idea, they usually like it—a lot. These photos are often readily available, either in your own archives or from a local historical society. Just give your historical society a credit and they’ll usually bend over backwards to find some good “old-timey” pix for you.

I like to see them at the top of your “Back Then” piece, the one where you write up a few items that were published in your paper 100 years ago, 50 years ago, 25 years ago and 10 years ago.

My experience is that readers like these photos a lot. And there’s no extra expense involved.

2) THE STAND-ALONE PHOTO. I usually call these the “butterfly on a stump” photos. In this case, it’s a guy out for a Sunday morning sail. In the illustration, it’s a color photo…but it doesn’t have to be. Some of the greatest scenic pictures ever taken are in black and white. If you don’t believe me, look up a guy named Ansel Adams.

These photos are usually scenics: A fall leaf on a gently flowing stream; geese flying north against a sunset; a pinto pony in a desert field. You get the idea.

The good thing about this kind of photo is that you don’t have to shoot it right now. It can wait. But ya gotta keep your eyes open: You just never know when a beautiful scenic shot is gonna jump out at you.

3) THE READER POLL: Now, this item takes a bit more work…but if you do it right you’re bound to generate some strong reader participation.

Some of the elements this requires:

a) A thought-provoking question, not just “Do you think it’s going to be a wet autumn this year?”

b) Offer at least five or six responses to the question. Readers can choose from among those…and/or leave a comment on your web site.

c) A poll chart. Color if possible but black and white will do. And make it a pie chart.

d) Space for reader comments. A good question is sure to stir the pot and some readers will be sure to respond with interesting comments.

So…you don’t have to continue to run a no-interest-here, static, boring editorial cartoon.